Episode 49: 8 Ways to Thrive in Uncertainty

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Dr. Melissa Smith 0:00
Is it possible to thrive in the face of uncertainty? Or are we all doomed given the current crisis we are facing? Well, I am here to tell you that you absolutely can thrive. So let’s learn how.

Dr. Melissa Smith 0:17
Hi, I’m Dr. Melissa Smith, welcome to the pursue what matters podcast where we focus on what it takes to thrive in love and work. So last week, on the podcast, we focused on how great leaders lead through crisis. And we were completely focused on the specific mindsets and actions that a leader needs to take to lead well through uncertainty. And of course, I had a really great resource for you all about leadership action planning, I had really great prompts questions, a SWOT analysis, and a team Action Planning Guide, as well. So if you haven’t gotten that, make sure you head on over to my website, I will link to that in the show notes today. And today, we’re going to completely focus on your personal needs. So the last point in the podcast last week, is that great leaders take care themselves, so they do not abandon themselves. So the analogy, of course, is that great leaders know that they need to put on the oxygen mask first, before they help others and if they’re going to be of service to others. And so that’s what we’re going to focus on today. What do you need, personally, to thrive in the face of uncertainty. And, you know, unfortunately, one of the things that I see that happens for a lot of us, whether we’re parents, whether we’re leaders, of organizations, or even a team, is that we sacrifice our own needs in the service of those we serve. And it is so undermining because here’s the thing, your team needs you to be on solid ground, they need you to be steady, so that you really can guide them and lead them through uncertainty. And so that’s what we’re going to be focusing on today.

Dr. Melissa Smith 2:26
So whether you’re leading at work, whether you’re leading at home, and of course, these days, you’re doing both right, the two are merging more than ever, I want you to listen in because it’s really time to dial in and take good care of yourself. You know, I’ve also been talking about on on Instagram, if you followed any of my IGTV, I’ve been talking about kind of COVID coping week by week by week, right. And week one, we really saw that we were, we were really just in shock and awe and really trying to figure out what the heck was going on. And so really operating on adrenaline. And then week two, we have the crash landing where, you know, the emotions hit, the adrenaline comes down. And that’s really when the anxiety started to spike for many of us. And so we run for cover in terms of emotional numbing, and like the schedules go out the window, you know, everyone’s staying up late, everyone’s coping through Netflix and food and all sorts of other things. And now, as we, you know, are in week three, week four, you’re recognizing the need to really get into some sort of new normal, some sort of predictable schedule, right, even though there’s so much uncertainty and so much unpredictability, because it does not feel good to not have a schedule. And so we really want to think about what do you need in place to keep you solid?

Dr. Melissa Smith 3:59
You know, one of the analogies that I’ve used and have talked about with one of my accountability groups, it’s a group of incredible women, they’re all leaders leading in different areas of life, and they’re from all over the world. So it’s been very interesting to hear how they are impacted by this pandemic. But one of the analogies that we were talking about is a lighthouse. Right? And as leaders, we really are the lighthouses right that the lighthouse has to be grounded in order to light the way for the ships to light the way for those that they lead. And that if that lighthouse does not have solid grounding, in terms of resilience in terms of coping skills, then the lighthouse cannot like the way for the ships. And I think the important thing to pay attention to is right the lighthouse is is most needed. The storm, right so on the sunny day, the ships don’t really need the lighthouse, the the gifts of the lighthouse are most apparent during the storm. And that’s really what I focused on last week, with, you know, the the greatest gifts of a great leader are are made manifest during uncertainty during a crisis, right? We have examples of that with Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, certainly other leaders throughout history. But the other the other important point about that is that the lighthouse is also getting battered by the storm. And so we’ve got to make sure that the foundation of that lighthouse is steady. And sure, right, we’ve got to make sure that that lighthouse has a solid foundation. And so that’s exactly what we’re gonna focus on today.

Dr. Melissa Smith 5:57
Okay, so times are tough, you do not need me to tell you that things are so uncertain. And obviously, we’re in the middle of the pandemic that has really left us scared, and scrambling. Our world has been turned upside down almost overnight. That’s what’s I think that’s one of the things that’s most riveting about all of this is that, you know, just in a matter of, you know, maybe a week, our world has just been turned upside down. And so if you’re like most of us, you might still be trying to get your bearings about you. And so what does this mean for you, your work your family? And, and and the reality of that still setting in, right? We don’t know, there’s a lot of modeling, there’s a lot of predictions. But at the end of the day, we just don’t know. And I think that’s, that’s what’s really scary. And so we just want to really pay attention to, you know, what can you do to keep yourself steady. So the key really is to remember that predictability is an antidote to stress. So that’s the first point I want you to remember. And that structure brings order to chaos. And so those are two key points, I really want you to keep in mind, as you listen to the podcast today. Because if you can keep those two points in mind the antidote, or that predictability is an antidote to stress and structure brings order. Those can be some guiding principles to help you as you really strengthen your foundation so that you can lead others and keep yourself study. And so of course, while while things are unpredictable, and no one can provide you or others 100% certainty, there are some ways to thrive in uncertain times. And so I’m going to talk about eight ways to thrive in uncertainty. But I want to start by defining resilience.

Dr. Melissa Smith 8:00
So that is definitely the opportunity here. So psychologists define resilience as the process of adapting Well, in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress, such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors. So I mean, think about that, like, we’re experiencing all of that. And I think one of the things to pay attention to is that we are going through a collective grief, a collective loss. And it is, you know, what I would describe others have described it this way as well. It is an ambiguous loss, because first of all, we don’t even know the kinds of losses that we’re experiencing. I heard an interview with Brene Brown, and I think it was David Kessler, who has written a new book on, let me find the title, because I want to get it right. A new book on and pulling it up On Finding Meaning, yes, it’s David Kessler. And, you know, they, what he talked about is, you know, for many of us, we can, who lives through 911, we can look back and we say, Do you remember what it was like to travel before 911? And he said, we will probably look back on this time and we will say, Do you remember what life was like before the pandemic? And he said, You know, we’re so early on in this, that we don’t really know what the losses will be. We don’t know how our life will change. And that’s why, you know, that’s part of why it continues to be an ambiguous loss or an ambiguous grief, but it is grief all the same. And so, you know, we think about we think about all the levels of loss, we think about the individual losses.

Dr. Melissa Smith 10:03
So think about kiddos, the loss of their sports season, the loss of graduation ceremonies, the loss of college semesters, you know, the loss of wedding ceremonies, there’s just so many layers of loss, we think about economic loss, you know, it’s just layer upon layer upon layer of loss. And I think when you can look at it, look at what we’re going through from that lens, it can actually move you into empathy and into compassion. And that can actually be really helpful, because then you have the opportunity to move in to resilience.

Dr. Melissa Smith 10:44
So I want to just review again, that resilience is defined as the process of adapting Well, in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats are significant sources of stress, right, and that counts for every single one of us. So four core components to resilience, include cultivating connection, fostering wellness, balanced thinking, and creating purpose. And so those are, those are some of the things that really help us to build resilience. And so those four components of resilience will be inter woven through the eight ways that you can thrive in the face of uncertainty that I’m going to be talking about. So I really want you to pay attention to these ways that you can thrive. So let’s jump in and talk about the solutions, right? Because that’s, that’s what that’s what we want to focus on is how can we thrive? How can we, how can we actually get through this, and and maybe even be better off because it’s totally possible. And resilience is how we do that.

Dr. Melissa Smith 11:58
Okay, solution, one, learn something every day. So right. I mean, if you’re like a lot of people, you may have more time at home. Right if you’re quarantined, so let’s make it productive time. learn something new every day, or at least every week, whether that’s through a great audio book, or an old fashioned book, a podcast, YouTube videos, or elearning options. So challenge yourself and keep your mind active. So this can really help you to stave off anxiety, and give your mind something productive to focus on. Because right, like maybe you’ve heard that an idle mind is the devil’s playground, right? So that very, very old fashioned term there. But what I would say is an idle mind is anxieties playground, and so helping, you know, engaging in learning, and certainly, you know, some productive learning can really help you to manage anxiety. And so some, you know, some ideas would be like I mentioned podcast. So let’s think about some some great podcasts that could be great for you right now. So Tim Ferriss has a really very popular podcast that you may be interested in, he interviews people on all sorts of topics. Joe Rogan has, I think Joe Rogan has like the number one podcast in actually like, I think, in the world. So JoenRogan has a very, very popular podcast. Of course, I already mentioned this, Brene Brown has a new podcast out. And it’s very good. She interviews people, she also does some of her own, you know, single stuff, and then Oprah’s super soul podcast is also very good. And what I would say is, you know, think about podcasts that are gonna help you to, to maybe stay away from anxiety. So I think I mentioned this, maybe on another podcast, but I typically listen to one political podcast, I have to limit it to that, because otherwise, it’s just not very helpful for me. But I had to actually limit how much of that podcast that I was listening to post COVID because it was I noticed it was actually spiking my anxiety. So I would just say, be wise in the content that you’re taking in as far as like the podcasts. But of course, you can listen to my podcast. So there you go. There’s an idea for you. But this is a good time to really check out some new podcasts and get some good ideas as far as that goes.

Dr. Melissa Smith 14:45
Let’s think about some book ideas. So there’s lots of lots of great books out there, whether it’s fiction, historical fiction, nonfiction, so many great ideas out there. E-learning, now’s a great time to be doing elearning, I have a great workshop out there on leadership survival skills. So that’s something you could look into. You could check out YouTube videos you can, there’s so much to learn via YouTube and other online resources. My daughter, she taught herself the ukulele. She’s taught herself the piano, all on YouTube. And she’s really good. And she’s done that all for free. The YouTube video, so there’s lots of resources out there. The other thing I want to say about this is, it’s okay if you don’t have more time. So especially if you’re a busy leader, you actually may not have more time, you may be at home more because you’re working from home. But for many of us who are busy leaders, you might be busier than ever, because not only are you leading your, your team remotely and you know, providing additional reassurance, maybe you’re having more meetings, because you’re doing contingency planning, you’re doing economic forecasting, but Oh, yeah, now you’re homeschooling your kids. And so one of the things that I have found, you know, not only for myself, but also in talking to leaders, and especially women who are leading is that they are actually busier than ever. And so they’re trying to get work done in the morning before their kiddos wake up. And then they’re doing homeschooling and they’re, you know, trying to participate and even lead their meetings in the middle of the day while they’re managing fractions on the side. And then, you know, with our kiddos and homeschooling, and then also, you know, wrapping up work in the evenings. And so not everyone has more time, you might be at home more, but you might not have more time. And so if we think about learning something every day, maybe it’s something that’s just totally a gift to you. So you do not need to be hyper productive with your learning. And so I think this is totally a time to have grace with yourself. There’s a lot out there right now about, you know, be productive, learn something every day. But some of that learning might just be a total gift to yourself. So maybe it’s an E course on resilience, maybe it’s an eCourse on coping skills, right. So it’s something that will definitely benefit you. But it’s not something that is about hyper productivity, because quite frankly, that’s not what you need, you actually need something that gives you permission to slow down, even if it’s just for 10 or 15 minutes, at the end of the day. And so I just really want to acknowledge that because it’s, you know, for for a lot of the leaders that I know and interact with, gosh, you’re busier than ever. So that’s really, really important to pay attention to.

Dr. Melissa Smith 18:02
Solution two, get outside every day. So do not stay cooped up, right just because you’re quarantined doesn’t mean you need to stay inside. Spend some time outside every single day regardless of the weather. Your weather’s like ours with its spring in Utah, which means one day we have 60 degrees I mean people were out in shorts yesterday. And then the next day it’s snow.So you know welcome to spring in Utah. Put on a coat put on sunscreen do whatever you need to do, but get outside and breathe some fresh air so the upside to this quarantine is our air is better than ever at least here in Utah so that’s that’s kind of nice. Get out get up in the mountains you know a simple walk we’ll do a hike is great. You know go for a run do do what do what you can. My guyfriend went for a bike ride this week and he said it was awesome. He said it was really great. So it’ll do your body good. It’ll do your soul some good so definitely get outside my poor pup does not know what to do because she loves walks and she’s getting like two and three and sometimes even four walks a day so she’s she’s a little worn out. But she’s not complaining. She’s still really excited about those walks. The other thing is go for a ride in the car if the weather you know is really bad and you’re getting you’re getting some Cabin Fever that can be a really nice option. You know other ideas Spikeball? lacrosse. So we all have at our house we have lacrosse players. So we have a mandatory lacrosse time at our house every day where it’s like okay, kids go it’s it’s time to go play lacrosse. For the little kids. It’s a little tough because many of the public playgrounds are closed, but hopefully you can you can you have Have a yard or you have, you know, bikes, that sort of thing. But even, you know, chalk in the driveway, on the sidewalk, that sort of thing. There’s been some awesome sidewalk art with chalk. So basketball, you might need to get creative, but definitely you can get outside yard work. That’s, that’s something we’ve been doing as well. So definitely try and get outside every single day, it’ll do your body and your soul some good.

Dr. Melissa Smith 20:29
Solution three, have fun every day. So because you’re spending more time at home, right, it’s so important to break up the day. And of course, we know that all work and no fun makes you adult girl or adult boy. So plan for fun every single day. And this is, again, where structure and having a having a schedule can actually be really helpful to just kind of break things up. And so whether that’s playing games at the end of the day, so my son’s friends, so her family, I actually this is a great idea. They have been going through and playing, playing all the games that they have. And so like, I don’t know, if they play like one game a night, or if they’re playing more than one game a night. But they play the game. And then that helps them to determine if they want to keep the game or give it to Goodwill. So actually think that’s a brilliant idea. And so they’ve been playing games every evening. So I love that other families are doing puzzles. And that’s a great idea as well have a movie night, you know, you could watch the tiger King. I mean, I don’t know who would be watching the tiger King. Okay? The guilty, no, the guilty, no. Have a spike ball tournament. Of course with those who you can be close to. We want to respect social distancing. So you know, if you have your if you have your family together, you could do a spike ball tournament. You could have a dance party after dinner, right? Like maybe when you’re loading the dishwasher, turn on some music, have some tunes make it a dance party, that the meme game is so strong right now. I mean, people are hilarious. And they have a lot of time to be sitting around making memes. And so, gosh, we’ve been laughing so hard at all the fun means at our house. So maybe you consider taking time and you know, laughing at some memes. Or do this have a family contest of who can find the best means and here’s the thing, everyone wins when you do that. So that would be really fun.

Dr. Melissa Smith 22:44
So I think it was during the first week of the quarantine. My teens and I watched the Dude Perfect quarantine classic. It was like over four nights, they were raising money for charity. It was totally silly. But it was really fun. And we had we had a great time watching that. We’ve also been making our way through Psych. If you have not seen Psych you gotta check that out. It’s so fun. I think it’s on Netflix, I think we’ve been watching on Netflix. And that’s been really fun. It’s been something that you know, as a family we’ve been enjoying in the evening at the end of the day. So find it, find a series that you can watch together. And that can be fun. Let’s see, oh, my college student introduced me to something really fun last night and that was what was it. Some good news by John Krasinski. So fun, so fun. And I think that’s just not I think that’s on YouTube. But anyway, check that out really awesome. It’ll make you laugh, and it will. It’ll inspire you and just help you to have to have a great perspective about where we’re at. So it’s, it’s awesome. It’s really great solution for moving your body every day. So the gym is closed, but you still obviously need the benefits of regular exercise.

Dr. Melissa Smith 24:09
So don’t use this time as an excuse to abandon exercise. So this is a great time to be creative with your workouts and to try something new. So there are tons of apps that are offering free or reduced memberships right now. So it’s a great time to check them out. A lot of people really like the peloton app you don’t need a peloton bike or a peloton treadmill to to use the app and I hear they’re great. I actually don’t have the app but my friend does. And she says it’s been so fun. And you really do get that social connection because you’re you’re doing classes with other people. So I know she’s really enjoyed that. The down dog and family of apps is free. through May 1, and it’s free for health care workers through July 1. So, you know, I did that and all of my team, because we have health care clinic have been able to download that. And they’re awesome. I’ve been, I had one of the apps already. But then I have downloaded the other apps. And they’re really good. I’ve used I think all of them. And they’re great. They have a bar one, they have a hit one, they have a yoga one anyway, really good. So down dog. And then they have like, I think like four other apps. So they’re really good. One of my favorites is Fitbliss Fitness. And it’s only 4.99. And they have a ton of workouts that you can do at home with very limited equipment. So Fit Bliss, fitness, and then also Big Mountain Barbell. Those are local companies in Utah, but they serve people all over the world. And they have really stellar workouts. So especially if you are doing strength training, or powerlifting. And they have videos that go with every single one of the exercises. And the great thing is they have a whole collective of workouts for you know, if you just have bands to work out with, if you just have very limited weights, if you can only work out with your body weight. And so it’s just perfect for home workouts. And they’re great. They’re killer workouts. I’ve been doing those every morning at home, and they’re awesome. So I will include a link to fit bliss, fitness and big mountain barbell. And you can check those out and the price is awesome. So check those out. And then of course, YouTube videos, you know, there are a lot of great options there. And then bodyweight exercises are very effective that the point is get your heart rate up, it doesn’t take that much you can do a lot if you’re willing to elevate your heart rate, you can use some bands, you can use some canned goods, or you can use a partner for resistance, you know, so the possibilities are endless.

Dr. Melissa Smith 27:22
Solution five, get quiet every day. So of course, we have so many inputs coming at us right now. And of course, so many of those inputs are laden with fear and anxiety. So it’s really essential that you create some boundaries where you can limit inputs and build in stillness for yourself. And I did talk about this a little bit last week, when I talked about, great leaders get quiet. And this space really allows reflection, self awareness, understanding, presence and peace. So specifically, some of the ways to get quiet. And some of the activities, right, I mean, you don’t need to do anything. So you could just close your eyes and close your door. And that would be perfect. You could use that time to journal for self reflection, could use that time for prayer, for meditation, box breathing box breathing is really helpful. So you imagine a box. And along each side of the box, you count four breaths, four breaths, inhale, four breaths, hold, four breaths, exhale, four breaths hold. And that’s box breathing. And it’s also known as square breathing or tactical breathing. It’s a technique known generally, as paced breathing, that that can be very helpful for slowing down anxiety and decreasing physiological arousal. One of the other ways you can get quiet every day is to limit your news. And this is a really big one. So turn off the TV, just turn it off altogether. Another thing that you can do, this is actually what I do. And I found a really helpful, I don’t need to set a timer but you can do this, if you struggle with it, is set a timer on your phone. And then you know, just have one reputable news source. So you choose what it is and have that app on your phone, whether it’s the Wall Street Journal or you know a local news organization. So you set the timer on your phone and then you use those five minutes to just scan the headlines. So you kind of see what’s happening in the world. What’s happening locally. And then that gives you enough time to quickly, again, write one to two articles. And that gives you a broad overview of what’s happening in the world without dipping you in to the anxiety of all of the kind of gory details of what’s happening around. And it’s not about avoidance, but it is a recognition that there’s just so much uncertainty right now, that if you spend too much time in the details of the news media right now, you just get caught in the speculation. And it’s just, you know, it just is salacious and unhelpful and really, really speculative. The other thing that can be helpful in terms of getting quiet, is limiting your social media, or unfollowing, certain friends as needed. So if you find that there are some friends that are just, you know, ruminating on some of the COVID stuff, maybe you just unfollow them for a couple of weeks, because they’re just filling up your feed with anxiety inducing information. And that’s okay, like, do what you need to do to take care of yourself.

Dr. Melissa Smith 31:16
Solution six, connect with others every day. So of course, social distancing, doesn’t mean social isolation. And, of course, you know, one of the key factors of resilience is social connection, relationships matter, they matter a lot. So we’re all coping with a lot and the ability to process what is happening. So by process, I mean, talk it out, and, you know, empathize with others and have others empathize with you, it really makes all the difference in you know, surviving versus thriving. And so don’t underestimate how important it is to be able to socially connect with others to be able to talk with others. And you know, have others understand your experience, and to listen and understand the experience of others. It there’s something really powerful about knowing you’re not alone, in what you’re going through. And of course, you’re not. But to have that validated and resonate with someone else is really powerful.

Dr. Melissa Smith 32:25
Of course, there’s no need to move through uncertainty alone, you’re not meant to cope alone. And so make a point to connect with three to five loved ones every day. So either by phone, text, email, FaceTime, Skype, zoom. Marco Polo is a favorite app of mine for this. So it’s a it’s a video texting app. And you can do groups, you can do individual people, but I really like it because you actually get to interact with their face. But it also, you know, you can do it according to your availability. So it’s not live, although people can watch it live. So you can kind of go back and forth. And I think it’s a really great app. I just love it. And so I’ve got, you know, group of high school, friends and family. And it’s been a really lovely way to connect through all of this. And then of course, social media can be another really great way to connect.

Dr. Melissa Smith 33:20
Solution seven, stick to the basics every day. So just because the world seems to be falling apart does not mean that your schedule needs to fall apart. Remember, predictability is the antidote to stress and a structure and a schedule will really bring order to the chaos. So let’s read let’s remember that, stick to the basics of good sleep hygiene, a good sleep schedule, predictable daily routine, balanced nutrition that includes fruits and veggies and adequate water intake. Right, let’s, let’s not let your nutrition go off the rails. And just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean hygiene should fly out the window. I mean, that is really a real thing right now, and people are kind of struggling with that. Get up, get showered, get dressed, get ready for the day, make your bed, make your bed. We are not a nation of teenagers. So get up, get dressed, get ready for your day. The truth is you will feel better about yourself and your contribution to your work to your family. And to your day, it will make a really big difference. And keep your family routines predictable as well. So last night, I told my kids I warned them I said 10 o’clock you’re going to bed and it was like it was like the world was ending, right? I mean, they’re like no, like, I don’t have that much work to I don’t have that much schoolwork tomorrow and I’m like no. We all need to we all need to be on more of a schedule and typically, you know when they’re when they’ve been In a regular school quote, unquote, they usually have to get to bed before 10. And so they it’s so funny how quickly schedules fall apart. But anyway, it was, it was like their world ended when I said 10 o’clock, but I’m going to enforce that and I think they’ll all be better off for it, I will be better off for it, I know that I’ll sleep better.

Dr. Melissa Smith 35:28
Okay, solution, eight, be grateful every day. So and, and this is the other thing, it’s okay if you’re not grateful in every moment, and it’s okay, if you’re not grateful right now, you know, like, but but, but try to find something to be grateful for, because it will definitely make a difference in terms of developing some resilience to all of this. So if you can find a way to be grateful, despite the storms raging about you, it really will make a difference. So of course, this is not about dismissing or minimizing the difficulties that you find yourself in. But it is about acknowledging that there’s always something to be grateful for. And you know, the degree to which you can be grateful, is the degree to which you will develop resilience. So that’s how resilience works. So, you know, resilience is a function of both gratitude, and spirituality. So perspective really, really matters. So you could ask yourself, what are the gifts of this time? Or what are the silver linings? You know, I had a, I had a zoom meeting with my team today. And it was awesome. First of all, it was just so nice to be together together in quotes, right, because we were all on zoom. But, you know, people were talking about the silver linings, and they were talking about the gifts of this time. And they were also talking about the challenges and the difficulties. And to be able to hold both and to acknowledge Yes, there are absolutely challenges of all of this. And there are also gifts and silver linings. And you’ll be amazed at how you begin to develop eyes to see gifts, everywhere you look. And it’s definitely true. So whether it’s a newfound appreciation, for you know, what it means to move about unimpeded, or to go out to a restaurant, and, you know, gather with friends, you know, it’s like, wow, to think we can’t do that anymore, or that’s, you know, that’s, that’s crazy. Whether it’s gratitude for more family time, that’s actually something I’m really very grateful for I’ve, I’ve actually really enjoyed that I’ve loved having that family time. And it’s also been challenging. So when you begin to look at your life, and circumstances of gratitude, your heart really begins to expand. And the stress that once was traumatic, ceases to be, right. So this is where perspective really, really matters. So we call this post traumatic growth. And it’s powerful, it is a powerful factor for resilience. So some of the ways that you can cultivate gratitude would be a daily gratitude, journal, sharing 1, 2, 3 things that you’re grateful for at dinner time as a family, or with a friend over Skype or over FaceTime, expressing gratitude to one person per day, right? That’s really awesome social connection or sending a text to one to one person, to one person a day expressing gratitude, writing a letter or an email, expressing gratitude. Keeping a running list of simple gratitudes throughout the day. You could also make a list of gratitudes that you’ve discovered courtesy of the covid 19 pandemic, right? And not that not that this pandemic gets credit, but like things that you’ve discovered, as a result of this situation. Right? And it’s not that right, if we find meaning in, in the challenge, it’s not that it’s not that the challenge in and of itself is meaningful, but we find meaning and that and there’s real power in that.

Dr. Melissa Smith 39:47
So, you know, the message that I want to leave with each of you is that, that of course times of uncertainty are very challenging, and we don’t ever want to know minimize that, but they need not be devastating. They can propel us to personal growth and deeper connection. But here’s the thing, we’ve got to be willing to cultivate self compassion, to cultivate coping skills, and curiosity about our needs. So I want you to know that you’re meant to thrive, not just when the sun is shining, and the flowers are blooming, but here today, among the storms. And so my hope for each of you is that you find peace through the storms, and that you really can be the lighthouse, not only for yourself, but for others who are in the storm. And so, you know, I really hope that for each of you and that, and I really hope that these eight solutions can help you to thrive in the face of uncertainty.

Dr. Melissa Smith 41:02
So make sure you head on over to my website to check out the show notes with the great resources I have for this episode at www.drmelissasmith.com/episode-49. And over there at the website, I’ll have some links to fitness fitness, big mountain barbell, can also have a link to down dog, and some of the resources on resilience. I’ll also have a link to last week’s podcast on leading your team what great leaders do and there’s a really good resource for you on that. And then also to the podcast on in this moment, which is all about mindfulness and meditation. I also will link to my leadership survival skills, which is a mini course it’s a workshop that is focused on leadership survival skills that are exactly what I’m talking about here. It’s a deeper dive into the specific skills that can help you thrive in the face of uncertainty and it’s really all about the resilience and coping skills to really help you show up for yourself. So you can show up for others. So I’ll have a link to that if you want to learn more about that. So again, head on over to www.drmelissasmith.com/episode-49 one more time. www.drmelissasmith.com/episode-49 I’m Dr. Melissa Smith. Remember love and work, work and love. That’s all there is. Until next time, take good care.

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